Mitty hits from deep, captures Open title
It’s really not fair when Mitty’s girls basketball team connects from the perimeter.
And when it makes 44 percent of its three-point shots? Forget about it.
The Monarchs (28-2), ranked fourth in the country by MaxPreps.com, put on a clinic Saturday against defending Division 4 state champion Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa, showing off their long bench and many skills in a 78-54 Northern California Open Division championship win at Santa Clara University.
St. Mary’s-bound Maddy Holland had 20 points and nine rebounds; Haley Jones, one of the nation’s top sophomores, totaled 15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists; and Daniella Guglielmo added 14 points for Mitty, which won its 12th title, tying Berkeley for the most in NorCal history.
But it was Mitty’s first in the Open Division, which is in its fifth season. The Monarchs play another nationally ranked team, Clovis West, in next weekend’s state final at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
“We’ve had a lot of success in the program, so we talked before the season about creating its own legacy,” Mitty coach Sue Phillips said. “They’re the first to win an Open, so kudos to them.”
With Mitty making 10 threepointers in 23 attempts, Cardinal Newman really didn’t have a chance. After impressive wins at second-seeded Carondelet-Concord and third-seeded Pinewood-Los Altos Hills, the Cardinals ran into a buzz saw.
“I would never say we’re unbeatable when we shoot like that,” Phillips said. “Especially (against) a team as talented and well coached as Cardinal Newman. But we’re pretty tough when we’re making three-pointers.”
One of the threes was key, a buzzer beater by Guglielmo to close the first quarter and break a 13-13 tie. Then Mitty put it away with a 25-7 run in the second, utilizing its press to turn turnovers into easy buckets and its bench to wear down Cardinal Newman, which got 19 points from 6foot-5 post Lauren Walker and 12 from Maiya Flores.
Mitty finished 34-of-64 from the floor (53 percent), outrebounded Newman 37-27, had 22 assists and forced 20 turnovers. Vanden-Fairfield 66, MiramonteOrinda 65:
In Division 2, Houston signee Julia Blackshell-Fair scored 15 of her 25 points in the third quarter to help erase a 10-point deficit and lead the host Vikings to their first state championship appearance. Vanden (30-5) took a 66-65 lead on an offensive rebound putback by Cassie Alden with a little more than 1:30 to play. After two empty possessions and some wild scrambling by both teams, Miramonte (30-4) had one last possession with 12.7 seconds remaining. Junior point guard Clair Steele waited until about four seconds remained before driving the right side of the lane and sending up a floater from about 6 feet. It grazed both the front and back of the rim, before falling off. Vanden will play Mater Dei-Santa Ana (24-8) in a 2 p.m. state final Saturday at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. Steele finished with a game-high 27 points to go with five assists and three steals. Campolindo-Moraga 78, St. Mary’s-Berkeley 56:
In Division 3, the Panthers had no answer for Campolindo center Haley Van Dyke, who scored a NorCal championship game record (all divisions) 46 points. Ashley Thoms added 17 points. The host Cougars (27-6) led 37-27 at halftime and 54-43 after three quarters, then started to widen the advantage midway through the fourth. Kennedi Villa scored 14 of her 18 points in the first half to lead St. Mary’s (22-11). Other games:
St. Joseph Notre Dame-Alameda (28-6) lost in the Division 4 final 70-30 at West Campus-Sacramento (29-4) . ... Topseeded Eastside Prep-East Palo Alto (22-8) won its third straight Division 5 title with a 66-58 home win over Woodside Priory (20-10).